Burma

American  

[bur-muh] / ˈbɜr mə /

noun

1. a country in Southeast Asia, renamed Myanmar in 1989.

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Burma British  

/ ˈbɜːmə /

noun

1. the former official name (until 1989, though still widely used) of Myanmar

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Burma Cultural  

1. Republic in Southeast Asia, now officially known as Myanmar, bordered by Bangladesh, India, and the Bay of Bengal to the west; China to the north and northeast; Laos and Thailand to the east; and the Andaman Sea to the south. Rangoon is its capital and largest city.

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Usage

See Myanmar.

Discover More

Run by its military in the 1970s and 1980s, Burma saw its economy decline. Free elections in 1990 were won by the main opposition party, but the military government refused to relinquish its powers.

During World War II, the Allies and Japanese troops fought intense campaigns over control of the Burma Road, a vital supply link between China and India.

Under British control until 1948, it then became an independent republic.

Example Sentences

The U.K. recently enacted a policy banning student visas for four countries, including Burma, citing increasing asylum claims.

From Slate • Mar. 19, 2026

What undermines Mr. Dalrymple’s thesis most, however, is the fact that no Indian leader believed Burma was an integral part of India—especially not Mahatma Gandhi.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, won its independence in 1948 as Britain dissolved its empire after World War II.

From Barron's • Dec. 23, 2025

Other countries whose green card holders will undergo this examination include Burma, Chad, Republic of Congo and Libya.

From BBC • Nov. 27, 2025

They passed on from there to a Travel Hall, where they saw the car covered with tiles, and the functioning Rube Goldberg chicken device and the rusting Burma Shave ads on the wall.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman